Glue-joint apparatus



March 30:, 1926. 1,578,898

G. LITTLEFORD GLUE JOINT APPARATUS Filed April 17, 1922 v 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 Sheets-Sheet P,

G. LITTLEFORD GLUE JOINT AP ARATUS Filed April 17,

22 serves to support the free ends of a series of frames 21 while the wooden strips 25 with V glue applied to their meeting edges are assembled loosely upon the upper faces of the frames-'21 and withone strip in contactwi'th the series of clamping faces 26 at the free ends of the 'FEYHIHGS 21. The-clamping members 27 are then :fed by a coarse ratchet feed along the frames 21 until they contact with the edge of the strip at the opposite side of thecomiposite board. A series of bars 28 each having a series of spring actuated plunger-s 29 are then adjusted into place relative to the several franiies 21 to press the individual strips 25 into alignment. upon the frames 21 and. to hold said strips in place upon-the several frames 21, while the clamping mem'bers'27 are drawn witha slow feed clamping pressure against the assembled strips and toward the clamping faces '26 to insure close contact of the several strips at their meeting edges and strong practically invisible joints, The clamping apparatus and composite boards are then released by the rocking member 22 and the chain 20 fed forward to bring :a neavseries of frames 21 into position to receive a set of str'jes 25, while the strips previously assembled are allowed to remain in their assembled and cla-mpedposition in the frames21 until the glue ,rjoints have become firmly set after which the clamps are "released and the composite boards removed.

The lengthof the chain 20 is'to be suited to the capacity of the particular factory to be served, so that the clamped tram-es in moving-along the under portionot the chain from the axle ldto the axle 18 will afford "sufficient time for the glue joints to. become 7 firmly set, and at the same time allow suiii- '39. ,The rocker arms 38 are each provided with --asocket 40 to receive one end of a 'bar28; at the opposite ends of the rocker series of recesses 43 in which are mounted a series of plungers 29, each provided with a head 44 at one end and a pair of lock nuts 45 and 46 at the opposite end. Each plunger has a limited movement transversely relative to the bar 28, and is energized by means of acoiled spring 47 encircling the shank of the plunger between its head 44 and the bar 28. Each bar 28 is gprezteraibly provided with an o ttset end 28 to be engaged by the latch 34, and also preferably with a cross-bar 48 adapt-ed to be engaged by a detachable forked le'ver'49 to enable manual pressure and leverage to be employed to force the forward ends of the bars v28 toward the frames 21 until the latches 34 are enabled to engage and look over the ends 28' of the bars 28.

Each of the tln=eadedshanks 33 is provided with a perforated bar-50 which passesthrough and is supported and guided by a recess in the clamping member 27. Each clamping member is provided with .a finger or pawl 51 spring actuated to normally tend. to engage one f the perforations 5.2 of the bar 50. When the hand lever end of the pawl 51 is pressed toward the clamping face of the member 27 the pawl 51 and member 27 are released from the bar 50 and may be adjusted by hand along the frame 21. When the pawl 51 is latched to bar '50 a hand actuated nut 54 threadedto the. shank 38 outside of the casting'32-enab les the clamping member 27 to be drawn with a screw feed-firmly toward the clamping face'26 to firmly *clamp the assembled strips together. Slots 55 are preferably provided in the members 27 opposite and :for :passage :of the heads 44. r

It will be noted that the series of yield ingly energized plungers .29 aeting at intervals along each of the assembled. strips 25 and before any clamping pressure has been applied to the edges thereof tends :to cause each strip to assume and retain :a position as nearly in contact :as possible with the plane face of all the -angle bars 30 and 31, and hence to bring one face fof all of the strips 25 into and retain them .in substantially one planethroughout the act ofclampingthe strips edgewise into one composite board, and until the glue has .fullyset. The

yielding plungers' are spaced su'liiciently.

close together so that at least one plunger from each bar 28 bears upon each strip of wood. The bars128 are convenientlydetacl able and adapted to be employed interchangeably to facilitate assembling and removing the stock members.

The apparatus herein shown and described is capable of considerable modification without departing from the spirit of my invention.

l Vhat I claim is:

1. A glue press apparatus comprising a stock supporting member adapted to support a plurality of stock members to be united side by side, and transversely thereof at a plurality of points of support intermediate of their lengths,a plurality of resiliently energized plungers to independently engage the respective stock members at a plurality of points intermediate of their lengths to press the stock members individually into contact with the stock supporting member,

means to support-said plungers in relation to the stock supporting member, and means to press the stock members into mutual engagement at their glue points while assembled and under pressure from said plungers to unite said individual stock members into composite stock members.

2. A glue press apparatus comprising astock supporting member adapted to transversely support a plurality of stock members to be united-side by side and at a plurality of points of suspension intermediate of their length, a plurality of presser bars each provided with a plurality of resiliently energized plungers spaced thereon to independ ently engage the respective stock members to individually andyieldingly press said stock members into contact with the stock supporting member at a plurality of points intermediate of the length of said stock members, means to detachably hold said pressser bars in fixed relation to the stock supporting member, and means to press said individual stock members into mutual "en--. gageinent at their glue o nts while assemmembers to independently yieldingly press I the stock members into engagement with said respectlve supporting members, means to detachably hold the respective presser bars in fixed relation to said supporting members, and means to press the glue joint edges of said individual sto'clrmembers into mutual engagement while said stock members are assembled and yieldingly held by said plungers in engagement with said supporting members. 7 v

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature. i

GEORGE LITTLEFORD. 

